


Lost Children

by Luna_Myth



Series: About Missing People [2]
Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Alicization Running, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Interlude, Love, Luna Reacts to New SAO Books, Memory Loss, Missing Scene, Rewrite, Talking, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, To Be Continued, Your Move Reki Kawahara, this is a series now, when a new one comes out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 02:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Myth/pseuds/Luna_Myth
Summary: Kirito has a half-truth to repeat and Asuna has a situation to deal with. {Intended to follow About Missing People.}





	Lost Children

**Author's Note:**

> finished reading alicization running. your move, kawahara.

Two years passed me by in mere hours for my family in the real world. Or what passed as the real world for some—in many ways, this world was as real as any. But it wasn’t the one with Asuna, or Suguha, or my parents, or my other friends and family in it, so it wasn’t the one for me.

                I’d had great success in getting into the Imperial Swordcraft Academy in North Centoria, but it would still very likely be years before I achieved my goal of becoming an Integrity Knight. As much as I appreciated the challenge, I did not look forward to spending more time training and living in this world when my true goal was actually quite distinct: to find a system manager or console that would allow me to log-out.

                Eugeo believed I was one of “the lost children of Vecta” as per my story about awakening in the woods far from home with no memories. I had never corrected him on this fact, but he’d inquired about my memories a few more times over the past two years, during which I repeated my earlier half-truths. I did feel bad about this, but there was no way to explain my real circumstances, that I was from another world entirely.

                “Hey, Kirito,” Eugeo called from a few feet away. We were outside practicing our forms for our final test this month. “Do you…do you think this was your calling? Wherever you came from before this, do you think you always intended to become an Integrity Knight? You just, you work so hard at this, and I can’t imagine it’s all to help me find Alice, as nice as you are. You could be out there trying to find your family, your hometown…”

                I lowered my practice sword and let it rest at my side. I had to think about how to respond to that.

                “I feel like I’ve always been a swordsman,” I said finally. “In whatever life I lived before, I’m sure of this fact. But you’re right, this isn’t helping me find my family as much as I’d hoped.” I resisted the urge to sigh. “What else can I do, though? Becoming an Integrity Knight would give me the freedom to search for them, at least, and there’s still the matter of helping you look for Alice.”

                Eugeo was quiet for a moment, then he said, “What if…what will you do if your memory does come back? Will you…”

                He didn’t have to finish for me to know the rest of his question— _will you return home?_ And the answer to that could only be, _Yes, I want to go back home_. But my hometown, and my family, weren’t where he thought they were, and filling in gaps in my memory wouldn’t change that. I needed to get to the top of the Axoim Church, and find the purpose of this world and a way out of it, in order to actually return home.

                “To be honest, Eugeo,” I said, “if I knew the way home, I would follow it right now. But I don’t, and I made a commitment to help you. I…You don’t have to worry about me leaving. My journey right now leads to you and me climbing that white tower.”

XXX

                Asuna had been in several high-security places before, both after her escape from Alfheim and due to her father’s work with RTC, but the _Ocean Turtle_ was another level entirely. This was compounded by the fact that she hadn’t been invited to be here, but at the moment this was one of the least of her concerns. The more pressing concern was Kirito’s—that is to say, Kazuto Kirigaya’s—disappearance from the hospital and likely whereabouts aboard this ship. She had to find him. That was what she was here to do.

                                Lieutenant Nakanishi led Asuna and Dr. Rinko Koujiro down a corridor deeper into the ship. It was only thanks to Dr. Koujiro that this venture was possible and Asuna was exceedingly grateful for her assistance. If the doctor hadn’t answered her electronic cries for help, Asuna didn’t know where that would have left her. As it was, she was certain she was within striking distance of Kirito’s location. She clenched her nails into her palms out of determination as a door loomed ahead down the hallway.

                A man in uniform who could only have been standing guard saluted Nakanishi as the group came to a halt.

                “Our resident researcher, Dr. Koujiro, and her assistant, Miss Reynolds, will be entering Sector S-3,” Nakanishi said, returning the salute.

                Asuna blinked behind her deceptive Ray-Bans, registering the use of her borrowed identity.

                “I’ll run the check now,” said the guard by way of reply. He quickly and thoroughly compared Rinko to an image of her on his device before turning to Asuna. “Excuse me, but I need you to remove your sunglasses.”

                Asuna’s heart sped up, but she said, “Oh, I see,” in English, and pulled off the Ray-Bans. The guard stared at her for a moment before nodding.

                “Confirmation complete. Go ahead.”

                Rinko exchanged a few words with the lieutenant before the three of them passed through the door into another hallway. Finally they arrived at a door labeled “First Control Room”.

                Rinko hesitated just outside the door, the lieutenant already several feet inside. Asuna cleared her throat softly. “…Doctor.”

                Rinko appeared to take a deep breath, summoning her courage before walking forward, and Asuna followed her into the dark room.

 

                “That’s a collapse. Four minutes, twenty-seven seconds.”

                At least fifteen minutes had passed since Asuna had entered the room and revealed who she was to Kikuoka and Higa, and during that time she’d learned where Kirito was and that he was going to be okay. Now she was sticking around to hear the explanation for why they’d needed him and what this whole project was about.

                Her stomach, however, had other ideas.

                In the course of trying to create a bottom-up AI and copy the human soul, Kikuoka and the others had created a copy of Takeru Higa’s mind, trapped somewhere dark, unable to move, and unable to cope with that fact that it was a copy. Asuna had just listened to it self-destruct over the course of nearly five minutes. The experience was unimaginably horrifying.

                She felt her stomach convulse and a strangled cry was ripped from her mouth. Asuna brought her hand up to cover it, but it was too late to stifle the noise. Her stomach churned.

                There was a rolling sound and then Asuna felt herself being lowered into a chair by Rinko. She clutched one arm gratefully, her other hand still over her mouth.

                Distantly, Asuna heard Rinko ask, “Are you all right?”

                Asuna shook her head feebly. She felt faint and ill, hardly aware of the world except for the tidal waves in her stomach. Her eyes were closed.

                Rinko kept a hand on her shoulder as she started to reprimand Kikuoka. “I’m astonished at your depravity, Mr. Kikuoka.”

                The man in question started to respond, but he was suddenly interrupted by Asuna, who quickly withdrew her hand from her mouth and—with an unsettling lurch of her stomach—threw up on the floor in front of her chair. She slumped back in her seat and groaned.

                The adults all abandoned their conversation at once. Rinko put her hand back on Asuna’s shoulder and turned her to look at her slightly. “Asuna, are you okay?” she asked again. “This seems serious. Are you alright to move?”

                Asuna nodded weakly, her eyes closed again. She still felt faint and nauseous, but not as likely to throw up now. Rinko helped her stand up while Kikuoka pushed the chair back into place and arranged for someone to clean up the vomit.

                “Follow me,” he said. “I was going to take you here later anyway, but now seems more prudent.”

                He led them to a room a few hallways away comprised mostly of infirmary beds with a long glass wall separating half of the room from the other. Through the glass, Asuna spied two large machines simply labeled “SOUL TRANSLATOR”, one saying “UNIT 4” and the other saying “UNIT 5”.

                Unit 4 was occupied.

                As they approached the glass, Rinko supporting her, Asuna’s knees went weak again. Kirito was right there, safe in the machine, the STL supporting his fluctlight and likely fueling his dreams. She hoped he was well, wherever his consciousness was. But more so, she hoped he would be back soon. Her heart ached at him being so close, yet beyond reach. Rinko silently guided her to a bed.

                “Are you feeling better yet, Asuna?” Rinko asked, clearly concerned. In the background, out of earshot, Kikuoka was talking to a familiar-looking nurse about something.

                “Yes, a little bit,” Asuna answered apologetically. Her stomach still felt unsettled, but not dangerously so. “I’m sorry for all the trouble; I don’t know why that affected me so much.”

                Rinko shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize. What they’re doing in there is truly horrible. I don’t blame you for being disgusted by it. For what purpose could they be doing this, I don’t know yet…”

                “Ah,” said Asuna softly. “I have an idea, actually, but I’ll have to wait until we get the rest of the story.”

                The nurse came over a moment later and Asuna raised her eyebrows in shock.

                “Miss Aki! What are you doing here? I thought you worked at the hospital in Chiyoda. Or was that just a cover?”

                Nurse Aki smiled at her mischievously. “I do work there, Miss Asuna, but I’m here on special assignment, to look after young Kirigaya. Now a better question is, what are you doing here? Mr. Kikuoka tells me you’re feeling a bit under the weather.”

                “Oh, uh, I’m feeling mostly better now, but it was pretty bad earlier.”

                Asuna filled her in on the situation, although she suspected Kikuoka had already partly handled it. Aki nodded like she’d heard as much, but raised an eyebrow when Asuna told her that the nausea hadn’t entirely gone away.

                “That’s odd,” she said. “Normally in one-off cases like these it should have cleared up by now. Did you eat anything strange earlier?”

                Asuna shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

                The nurse looked thoughtful. “Well, we’ll let you rest here for now. I’ll find you something to drink and be back to check on you and your boyfriend in a little while, alright?” The nurse winked at her and Asuna frowned uncertainly.

                “…Alright.”

                Aki went away and Asuna pulled her legs onto the bed along with the rest of her body, prepared to sit there for a while now that Kirito had been found and was within her line of sight. She hoped she would be able to tell the others soon, and thank them for their help in getting her inside the _Ocean Turtle_. If only the nature of its hidden project weren’t as terrible as she thought…

                With her nausea almost subsided, Asuna felt her eyelids growing heavy. It had been a long day and although she hadn’t intended to finish it without receiving a few more answers, they would have to wait until later, because Asuna soon found herself giving in to sleep.


End file.
